Artificial fishing bait



Oct. 22, 1935. c. A. JOHNSON ARTIFICIAL FISHING BAIT Filed Jan. 31, I935 2 Sheets-Sheet l 17206727 0 Car/J51 57250 Oct. 22, 1935.

C. A. JOHNSON ARTIFICIAL FISHING BAIT Filed Jan. 51, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jill" 17g l 7 25 I I NIH at;

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Patented Oct. 22, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention relates to improvements in artificial fishing bait or lure, and one of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved device of this character comprising a body portion fashioned into any desired shape and in which there is provided a fish hook connected to the body and detachable therefrom under strain, such as when struck by a fish, the hook being also connected to a slide movable along a guide withrespect to said body when detached from the body, the guide being provided with a shoulder or stopadapted to be impacted by the slide and thereby suddenly arrested or interrupted in its sliding movement with respect to the guide, so asto cause the hook to be embedded in the mouth of the fish. i

A further object is to provide improved means i for detachably securing the hook and slide to the body portion of the bait, and improved means for maintaining the hook against sliding movement longitudinally of the body until the hook is struck by a fish.

A further object is to provide an improved bait of this character, the body portion of which is formed of. sections joined together, and improved means whereby one of the sections may be detached and interchanged with another section to alter the shape or-change the nature of the bait according to*the kind of fish to be caught.

To the attainment of these ends and the accomplishment of other new and useful objects as will appear, the invention consists in the features of novelty in substantially the construction, combination and arrangement of the several parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings illustrating this'invention and in which Figure l is a side elevation of a. bait of this character constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention and showing the hook detachably secured to the body.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the position the parts will assume when the hook is struck by a fish.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a view taken on line 4-4, Figure 1, from the bottom of. the body.

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view taken on line 55, Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 3 with one of the sections of the body interchanged for another section.

Figure '7 is a side elevation oi the rear portion of Figure 6.

Referring more particularly to the drawings,

the body of the bait consists essentially of two sections it and H detachably secured together for pivotal movement one with relation to the other by means of a removable pintle l2.

The body thus formed may be constructed of 5 I any suitable material and may be of any desired size and configuration, sufiice it to say that the body will be buoyant. I The numeral I3 designates a cap or hood constructed of any suitable material adapted to be 10 placed over one end of the body, the portion N of the body being shaped to receive the hood.

The hood is provided with a depending portion l5 arranged at any desired angle of. inclination with respect to the hood, and this portion I 5 is 15 preferably corrugated, as shown more clearly in Figure 4 and is of a suitable size to constitute and form a. reflector, and will also act as a "wobbler.

' Secured to and projecting rearwardlyfrom the 20 hood is an arm or extension to formed of any suitable material, a portion of which is shaped to form a shoulder I 1 adapted to engage behind a shoulder i8 on the body of the bait, preferably the bottom thereof so as to detachably secure the as hood L3 in position. 7

A securing means is, preferably in the form of a hook or staple, is connected to the body and passes through a suitable opening 20 in the hood so as to connect the body and hood together 0 in such a manner that although the hood may be removed or detached from the end Hi of the body. the body will remain pivotally connected to the hood so as not to float away from thehood.

The numeral 2| designates a spring bar or rod constituting and forming a guide. This guide 2! preferably passes through an opening 22 in the end of the arm or extension lS-and also through an opening 23 in the reflector 15, being secured to these partsin any suitable manner and against m relative movement with respect thereto. One end of the guide 2| adjacent the reflector i5 is shaped to form an eye 26, by means of which it may be connected to a line 25.

The guide 2| extends for a substantial distance 5 lengthwise of the body and of the sections l0 and II, and is arranged below and spaced from the body, the free end of the guide being shaped to forma shoulder or stop 26. This is preferably accomplished by forming the end of the guide into an eye or loop and coiling the extremity of the guide about itself.

The guide or bar 2| is of a somewhat resilient nature and movable thereupon is a slide 21, to which slide a fish hook 28 is connected by means w of a link or ring 29, whereby the hook will have a pivotal movement with respect to the slide.

The slide is provided with projecting spring ears or lugs 30' adapted to be seated in a recess will place the guide 2| under lateral tension; and

' the guide is of such length and the shoulders I1 and 26 are so disposedwith respect to each other that the slide 21, when detached from the'body,

I will be adapted for movement for a considerable distance along the guide 2|.

When the hook-28 is detachably secured to the body, and the fish makes a strike, as shown more clearly in Figure 2, the-slide 21 will first be detached from the body and :the hood M will move into the position as shown in Figure 2. The fish then draws the slide 21 along the guide 2| with considerable rapidity, but when the slide 21 impacts or strikes the shoulder 26, the movement of the hook 28 and the slide 21 along the guide 2| will be suddenly interrupted, thereby causing the hook to be embedded in the mouth of thefish.

By reason of the pivotal connection between the hood l3 and the body through the medium ,of the element l9, it will be manifest that when the guide 2| is detached from the body, the guide will remain attached to the line 25 and the body portion Iii-ll will be prevented from floating away by reason of this connection I9, yet it will not be in the way and will not interfere with the landing of the fish.

The interengaging shoulders l1 and I8 respectively on the guide 2| and body section It, provide' a means for preventing the slide 2| from being moved longitudinally of the body when the hook is detachably connected to the body, and also serves as a means for preventing the detachment strike, the fastening device l9 may be bent or so shaped as to form an opening l9 (see Figure 1) between the extremity of the device. l9 and the body portion so that the edge of the hood 3 may pass therethrough. v

If desired, and in order to change the nature or character of the bait, the body section II may be detached from the section l0, and in lieu thereofra feather or hair section 34 may be.interchanged therewith. This is accomplished by removing the pintle l2, allowing the eyes 35 to remain on the body section It). The section 34 is provided with an eye or loop 36 and a bifurcated 2 member 31, which latter is adaped to be inserted aoiaoos mouth of the fish and in the scope of the claims, from the spirit of this invention. or lugs 3|) into the recess 3|. This strain.

guide 2| from the body under.

. and adapted to impact said stop,

provided and the hook 23 will be maintained detachably connected to the body until a strike is made, after which and by reason of the sudden stopping of the slide 21 and hook 28 along the guide 2|, by the impact of the slide with the shoul- 5 der 26, the hook will be firmly embedded in the the fish will not be lost. While the preferred forms of the invention have been herein shown and described, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, withwithout departing What is claimed as new is:-

1. Anartificial bait including a body of substantial length, a flexible guide secured by one end to the body and extending lengthwise of the body for a substantial distance and spaced therefrom, a stop on the guide, a hook slidable upon v the guide and adapted to impact said stop, and means for securing ,the hook to said body, the said hook being detachable from the body under the guide and adapted to impact said stop, and 30 means for securing the hook to said body and for placing .said guide under tension, the said hook being detachable from the body under strain.

3. An artificial bait including a body of substantial length, a flexible guide secured by one end to the body and extending lengthwise of the body for a substantial distance and spaced therefrom, a stop on the guide, a hook slidable upon the guide and adapted to impact said stop, means for securing the hook to said body, the said hook 0 being detachable from the body under strain, and

means for attaching the guide to a line.

' 4. An artificial bait including a body of substantial length, a flexible guide,-mea'ns detachably securing one end of the guide to the body. 5 said guide extending lengthwise of the body for a substantial distance and spaced therefrom, a stopon' the guide, a hook slidable upon the guide and adapted to impact said stop, means for securing the. hook to the body, said hook being detachable from the body under strain, and means for attaching the said guide to a line.

' 5. An artificial bait including a b dy of substantial length, a flexible guide, means detach ably securing one end said guide extending lengthwise of the body for a substantial distance and spaced therefrom, a stop on the guide, a hook slidable upon the guide means for securing the hook to the body, said hook being detachable from the body under strain, means for attaching the said guide to a line, and means for maintaining said guide against longitudinal movement with respect to said body, when the hook is secured to the body.

6. An artificial bait including a body of substantial length, a flexible guide secured by one end to the body and extendinglengthwise of the 7 body for a substantial distance and spaced therefrom, a stop on the guide, a hook slidable upon the guide and adapted to impact said stop, means for securing the hook to said body, the said hook being detachable from the body under strain, means for securing the guide to a line, and means for maintaining said guide against longitudinal '5 artificial bait including a body of subof the guide to the body, 55 I from, a stop on the movement with respect to the said body while the hook is attached to the body.

7. An artificial bait including a body of substantial length, a flexible guide secured by one end to the body and extending lengthwise of the body for a substantial distance and spaced thereguide, a hook slidable upon the guide and adapted to impact said stop, means for securingthe hook to said body, the said hook being detachable from the body under strain, means for attaching the guide to a line, and interengaging shoulders on said body and the guide !or maintaining the latter against longitudinal movement with respect to the body' when the hook is detachably secured to the body.

8. An artificial bait including a body of substantial length, a flexible guide secured by one end to the body and ex ending lengthwise of the body for a substantial distance and spaced therefrom, a stop on the guide, a hook slidable upon the guide and adapted to impact said stop, means for securing the hook to said body, the said hook being detachable from the body under strain,

snag a reflector depending from one end of the 9. An artificial baitincluding a body of substantial length, a fiexible'guide secured by one end to the body and extending lengthwise of the body for a substantial distance and spaced therefrom, a stop on the guide, a hook slidable upon the guide and adapted to impact said stop, means for securing the hook to said body. the said hook being detachable from the body under strain, and a reflector depending from one end of the body andthrough which reflector the end of the said guide projects.

10. An artificial bait including a body of substantial length, a hood detachably engaging one end of the body, a flexible guide secured by one end to the hood to project lengthwise of the body for a substantial distance and spaced therefrom, a hook slidable upon the guide, a shoulder on the guide to be impacted by the book by the movement oi the hook upon the guide, means for detachably securing the hook to the body and for placing said guide under lateral tension, said hook deing detachable from the body under strain, means for securingsaid guide to a line, and yieldable means for maintaining said hood against displacement and said guide against longitudinal movement with respect to said body.

11. An artificial bait including a body of substantial length, a hood detachably engaging one end oi the body, a flexible guide secured by one end to the hood to project lengthwise oi the body for. a substantial distance and spaced therefrom,

a hook slidable upon the guide, a shoulder on the with respect to said body, and means forming a swinging connectionbetweensaid hood and said body for maintaining them'against separation when the hood is removed from the end oi the body.

12. An artificial baitincluding a body 01' substantial length, a hood detachably engaging one end of the body, a flexible guide secured by one end to the hood to project lengthwise of the body for a substantial distance and spaced therefrom, a hook slidable upon the guide, a shoulder on the guide to be impacted by the hook by the movement of the hook upon the guide, means for de tachabiy. securing the hook to the body and for placing said guide under lateral tension, said hook being detachable from the body under strain, means for securing said guide to a line, and yieldable means for maintaining said hood against displacement and said guide against longitudinal movement with respect to said body, the last'recited means embodying interengaging shoulders on the body andguide. 1

13. An artificial bait embodying a body of substantial length, means for connecting a line thereto, a guide extending lengthwise of said body, a

shoulder on the guide, a hook slidable upon the guide to impact said shoulder, and means securing the hook to said body, said hook being detachable from the body under strain.

14. An artificial bait embodying a body of substantial length, means for connecting a line thereto, a guide extending lengthwise of said body. a shoulder on the guide, ahook slidable upon the guide to impact said shoulder, and means securing the hook to said body, said book being detachable from the body under strain, said hook remaining connected with the line through the medium of said guide, after it becomes detached from said body.

15. An artificial bait embodying a-body, means for connecting a line thereto, a fish hook, fastening means between the hook and said body for maintaining them in fixed position with respect to each other, said hook being detachable from the body under strain, means adapting the hook for free bodily movement in directions lengthwise of and with respect to said body when detached from the body, and a stop for interrupting such free bodily-movement of the hookat a predetermined point in such movement.

16. An artificial bait embodying a body, means for connecting a line thereto, a fish hook, fastening means between the hook and said body for maintaining them in fixed position with respect to each other, said hook beingdetachable from the body under strain, means adapting the hook for tree bodily movement in directions lengthwise of and with respect to said body when detached from the body, and a stop for interrupting such free bodily movement 01' the hook at a predetermined point in such movement, a portion oi the last said means also serving to maintain the hook connected with the line after the hook becomes detached from said body.

CARL A. JOHNSON. 

